Melissa Leapman - Knit It!: Learn the Basics and Knit 22 Beautiful Projects

for joan murphy , knitter extraordinaire

Text and illustrations copyright 2014 by Melissa Leapman.

Photographs copyright 2014 by Alexandra Grablewski.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Leapman, Melissa.

Knit it! : learn the basics and knit 22 beautiful projects / Melissa Leapman.

ISBN 978-1-4521-2451-3 (HC)
ISBN 978-1-4521-3049-1 (EPUB, MOBI)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Knitting. I. Title.

Designed by Tracy Sunrize Johnson and Hillary Caudle

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

I could not have completed this project without the help of many important people.

I am grateful to the following knitters for their help testing the patterns and creating the samples for this project: Karen Forbes, Nancy Harrington, Cheryl Keeley, Joan Murphy, Patty Olson, Jen Owens, Sarah Peasley, Debbie Prout, Debbie Radtke, Catherine Schiesz, Heather Start, Lauren Voeltz, and Marcia Weinert.

Special thanks go to my fabulous (and tireless!) project assistant for this book, Cindy Grosch. You ensured that the designs were camera-readyand kept the author sane.

Thank you, Joni Conigio, for once again making me the luckiest author in the industry. Your beautiful work makes mine look better.

Just think: Together well be bringing lots of new knitters into the fold!

Knitting is a magical pastime.

Some folks consider it an art form. Others find it a practical and fun craft. For all, it is a technique that enables us to transform soft balls of yarn into beautiful and useful objects for ourselves and others.

Knitting has become incredibly popular in the past several years. Trendy hand knits are showing up everywhere: on the pages of leading fashion magazines, on the shelves of your favorite boutique, on fashion runways all over the world, andif you could sneak a peekin the models own shopping bags.

The biggest surprise about knitting is how easy it is to learn. In fact, I taught myself as a kid in high school. With very little investment in tools and materials, you can have yarn and needles perched in your hands and be happily stitching away in no time!

Drawing on my experience teaching workshops to countless crafters, this book lays the groundwork for a lifetime of knittingno prior skills necessary! to help you fix inevitable errors.

for women, these projects will allow you to build your skills while knitting up unique items.

Each project includes a Skill Set, which lists all the techniques necessary to complete the project. If something in the skill list looks unfamiliar, dont give up; just turn to the page . These simple projects will give you the confidence to keep knitting.

Yarn, Needles, and Notions for each pattern list all the tools and supplies youll need to make the project. If youd like your version to duplicate the one photographed, choose the specific yarn called for. You can use the Resources: Materials in the back of the book for a list of yarn companies; they can suggest yarn shops local to your area. As convenient as the Internet is for most things, I bet youll want to select your yarn and colors in person. Knitting is a tactile sport: Choose yarn that makes you happy!

Youll notice that each pattern also includes a Knitting Know-How tip or two, where youll discover my pro tips and tricks to help you build your skillsand your confidence. Remember that mastering a new motor skill like knitting can feel awkward at first. Be patient with yourself as you learn. Everyone was once a beginner.

Best of all, each project also includes a Change It Up! suggestion to help you customize and put your personal spin on the item, letting you create something new and different. If a shawl doesnt suit your lifestyle, you can easily adjust the Under Wraps shawl project into a cozy afghan, for example. Knitting is always fun and stimulating. I hope it excites you as much as it does me.

Lets begin! We have the whole world of knitting to explore together.

Happy knitting!

this part of the book presents everything you need to know to get started knitting, from the tools and materials you will use to essential stitches and how to read a knitting pattern.

You only need a few fundamental materials to get started. Assemble the following items in your knitting bag.

Lucky for us, companies offer a fantastic array of yarns from all over the world, many of which can be found online. Before you start any project, be sure to read the yarn label, which contains important information.

Yarns can be made from all sorts of different fibers, from warm and cozy wools to silky cottons to workhorse machine-washable acrylics. Some yarns are blends of natural and man-made fibers and try to offer the best of both worlds. Since the way a knitted fabric feels is as important as how it looks, I suggest you experiment knitting with lots of different yarns to find the ones you love. If you havent looked at yarns recently, youll be amazed by the variety!

This information tells you how much yarn is in the skein (a.k.a. the ball). It will help you determine how much yarn to purchase to make a specific project.

This describes the thickness of a single strand of the yarn. The Craft Yarn Council of America has set standard categories for yarn weights, from 1 (super fine) to 6 (super bulky). Bulky yarns knit up quickly with larger knitting needles and require less yarn yardage for the same size finished project.

Heres where the yarn manufacturer recommends a particular knitting needle size and how many stitches would usually result over 4 in/10 cm. The finer the yarn, the more stitches and rows are needed to create fabric of a particular size. Note that the needle size printed on the label is only a suggestion. All knitters, even seasoned ones, vary in how they knit and the needles they use to achieve the recommended gauge. And remember, the same yarn can be knit at one gauge for socks and at another gauge for a lacy shawl.